Yankees just got a golden chance to fleece MLB's worst front office

The most important question surrounding the New York Yankees should not be whether Aaron Judge will win his third MVP award, nor should it be whether he’ll defeat Seattle Mariners star Cal Raleigh in a thrilling home run race.

Judge’s greatness makes it easy to forget the Yankees still don’t have a starting third baseman. DJ LeMahieu is no more, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has returned to second base and the Yankees may as well wave the white flag on their postseason hopes if they intend to continue starting Oswald Peraza at the hot corner.

Could Los Angeles Angels veteran Yoán Moncada instead be the Yankees’ solution at third? The idea makes more sense than one might think, even as the Angels hover around .500 and remain in the playoff race. 

Moncada entered the All-Star break batting .231 with seven homers, 21 RBI and an .805 OPS in 135 plate appearances. Unfortunately, Moncada is all too familiar with the Injured List: He missed almost the entire 2024 season with an abductor strain, and he’s only played 110 games once since the start of 2021. Sure enough, the former top prospect has already endured two IL stints this year, once for a thumb sprain and another with right knee soreness. 

But he made his return to L.A.'s lineup earlier this month, and if the Yankees strike out on Eugenio Suarez and need an upgrade on the cheap, he makes a surprising amount of sense.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot,our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Should the Yankees trade for Yoán Moncada?

Although Moncada isn’t the most notable bat mentioned in online trade possibilities, he checks a fair number of boxes. First off, Moncada is cheap, having signed a one-year, $5 million prove-it deal last offseason. That alone should, and likely would, catch the Yankees’ interest ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Moncada’s injury history does make him an incredible risk. The Yankees have encountered enough injury problems thus far, losing ace Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery and third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera to a fractured ankle. Clarke Schmidt, a mainstay in the rotation when healthy, is likely out until 2027 after a recent UCL injury of his own.

Do the Yankees really want to add another injury-prone player? Let’s not forget that designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has his own extensive injury history and didn’t make his 2025 debut until mid-June because of tennis elbow in his arms. We can’t imagine that Aaron Boone would be happy needing to regularly start multiple backups during a September playoff race.

With that said, Moncada once ranked among the sport’s top prospects for a reason. He’s still capable of tormenting pitchers from both sides of the plate, and his current .479 slugging percentage is his highest since 2019. 

Either way, the Yankees can easily fleece the Angels if the opportunity exists; this is the same front office that wasn't able to take Shohei Ohtani to the playoffs and just left everyone scratching their heads once again with their MLB Draft strategy. Whether or not they decide to take that chance, though, remains to be seen — but the Yankees might want to move quickly, especially with the Toronto Blue Jays now leading the AL East.